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HARTFORD, Conn. - The No. 5 ranked UMass Lowell Hockey team was defeated by UConn, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon at the XL Center in Hockey East action.

With the loss, the River Hawks fell to 10-2-4 overall (6-1-3 HEA), while UConn improves to 4-10-0 and 2-7-0 in Hockey East contests.

Sophomre forward Ryan Collins (Newton, Mass.) evened the game at 3-3 with his third career goal collecting a rebound in the crease just 47 seconds into the third period, but UConn's Tage Thompson gave the Huskies a 4-3 lead with 7:22 left in the third with a blast from the left faceoff circle for his second power play marker of the game to seal the game for the Huskies.

Senior forward A.J White (Dearborn, Mich.) picked up his third goal of the season with 1:52 left in the second period, but UConn came storming back with two goals in the final minutes of the middle frame with goals from Corey Ronan and Spencer Naas, at 18:29 and 19:41, respectively.

Sophomore forward C.J. Smith (Des Moines, Iowa) picked up the rebound off a Niklas Folin shot from the left point to tie the game at 1-1 for the River Hawks just 1:51 into the second period. Smith beat UConn goalie Rob Nichols on a wrist shot on his glove side for his seventh goal of the season.

Smith has now amassed a point in his last 10 contests for the River Hawks, posting 16 points (6g,10a) in that span. He finished with a game-high five shots on goal for the River Hawks in the losing effort.

UConn skated to the locker room at the end of the first period with a 1-0 lead off a power play goal by Thompson at 11:27 for his fifth tally of the season. The Huskies held an 11-6 shot advantage in the opening frame.

UMass Lowell outshot the Huskies, 30-24 for the game, including a 13-5 shot advantage in the final period.

Senior goalie Kevin Boyle (Manalapan, N.J.) stopped 20 shots in only his second loss of the season, while UConn's Nichols amassed 27 saves in his fourth win of the season.

The River Hawks return to action in the series finale against UConn on Sunday, December 6^th. Game time from the Tsongas Center is 1 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by American Sports Network and regionally by New England Sports Network (NESN) and SportsNet NY (SNY). Check your local listings or visit www.goriverhawks.com for more information.

Tickets for all River Hawks home hockey games are on sale now. Game tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (65 ) and military, and $12 and children (12 and under). UMass Lowell students receive free admission by scanning their ID as part of the "River Hawk Rewards" campaign. Tickets can be purchased at the Tsongas Center Box Office, which is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. during the week. Fans can also purchase tickets online at TsongasCenter.com or by calling 866-722-8780.

The UMass Lowell Athletic Department is also selling season, mini-pack and group tickets at this time. Packages can be purchased online at TsongasCenter.com or by contacting Christine Maurais (christine_maurais@uml.edu; 978-934-2181) or Ryan Leach (ryan_leach@uml.edu; 978-934-6280).